Committee 2018

Garry Curley

Chairperson

I have always been into exercise and fitness for as long as I can remember. I started with MTB Trials riding, then moved to XC Biking, then strength training at the gym followed by running.

Like many of our members, I soon got bored with just a single sport and decided that Triathlon would be able to provide me the excitement and challenge I now needed. Since joining the club I have taken on more challenges that I ever thought I was capable and have made many great friends along the way. I love the continual support provided by all the committee, coaches and members, and for 2016 was given the chance to be chairman of this fantastic club.
If you have any questions regarding triathlon or Ashford Tri Club, just drop me a message and I would be more than happy to talk.

Alex Milne

Vice Chairperson & Welfare Officer

I have now been a member of the club since 2009 and on the committee since 2010 coming to the club from a running/cycling background.

Out training all year round the primary focus remains along the lines of taking part in standalone running, cycling and duathlon events to push myself to be as competitive as possible within these events.

Jim Hawkins

Secretary

Renowned for competing in the “toughies” of the multi-sport world – Jim is the only ATC club member to have completed the infamous “Helvellyn Tri” twice – how mad is that!!!

Other events include Ironman Wales in 2012 and completing the Jurassic Coast Challenge in 2015, Jim also manages the more sedate role of Secretary.

Mark Fairbrother

Treasurer

My main role on the committee is to protect the financial health of our club, ensuring that we utilise our funds appropriately and for the benefit of all our members.

On a personal note, I have been with the club a little over 18 months having felt I needed a challenge beyond running marathons. Like many of us my journey into Triathlon began with swim lessons with Ruth, culminating into the E.G sprint race last year. Since then I have pushed myself up the distances and face my biggest challenge yet in June 2015, IM Austria!

If this club provides you with 10% of the enjoyment I get then I guarantee you will love every aspect of triathlon and your fellow club members.

Enjoy, keep pushing yourself and stay safe

Adey Porter

Membership Secretary

After a year or so getting fed up with looking at the same 4 walls in my local Gym, I decided I wanted to do a Triathlon. (As you do!) So at the beginning of 2014 I went along to the JRS and attended one of Sally’s fantastic coached running sessions.

Everyone was so friendly and supportive I hardly noticed the hailstones that were stuck to my running top! I soon joined the club and completed 4 Tris in my first year including the incredible team relays.

I can’t begin to describe how supportive, friendly, non-judgemental everyone in the club is. There’s always someone ready to give advice on technique, races to enter, train with, lend or even sometimes donate kit & equipment. We really are one big happy family. Still not convinced?

Drop me an email and I will point you in the direction of a training session so you can see for yourself. You may even end up in an ATC selfie!

Keith Russell

Men’s Captain

Sally Aspital

Ladies Captain

I would describe myself as more far more competitive than I ever am competent. I joined the club in my first year of triathlon in 2009. Previous to starting in triathlon I had never done any real sports since school and could barely run 5km. I progressed slowly, spent years without being brave enough to be clipped in on the bike and learning to swim properly. I started with sprints, then standard distances and in 2014, with the help of the club, I unbelievably completed The Outlaw, my fist ironman distance triathlon in 14 and a half hours. My main target race for 2016 is Ironman Vichy although I will be busy trying to defend my Sprint and Standard Distance ATC Championships titles that I won last year. My ethos is ‘you are far more capable than you think you are’ and I am very keen to help anyone start in triathlon, no matter what current level of ability, as you never know where it will lead you.

Julie Abbott

Press Officer

Complete newbie to this exercise lark! Having watched hubby complete his first Tri at East Grinstead in May 2014, I got completely swept up by the ATC enthusiasm for supporting, advising and helping everyone, no matter of their abilities and declared ‘I’m going to do this, NEXT year’ (OK – wine may have been involved in making that declaration too).

Somehow, 10 short weeks later, I did my first Tri at Lydd. I think I broke the course record for the longest time ever – almost everyone had finished the run before I got finished the ride!! But I got lots of encouragement to keep going from ATC members and from other clubs too – some even ran with me for the first bit to get me on my way. Next was the totally awesome (and very cold) experience of the National Team Relays which was a fab weekend with club members, then the sprint tri at Bodiam Castle – totally loved the moat swim. That’s it – said I was new! Summary for 2014 : lots of new friends, the fittest I’ve ever been, got to ogle fit blokes in skin tight lycra, dropped 3 dress sizes and still eating cake! What’s not to love about this sport? Plans: get properly fit over winter and next year step up to Standard Distance Tri’s and possibly further…

Lorraine Hawkins

Design

I started running in recent years and felt I needed to improve. Approaching and joining Ashford Tri Club was way out of my comfort zone but I’m glad I found them – the support and friendliness is heart-warming and they are very encouraging and supportive even if you’re at the back of the pack.

With that motivation I’ve now taken part in several running events including a few road and trail marathons and even dipped my toes into a couple of short distance triathlons. I’d encourage anyone who’s thinking about it to just do it!

Martin Abbott

Webmaster

Let’s just say, if I hadn’t have gotten up from my sofa from drinking and smoking I wouldn’t be typing this today. Having the addictive personality that I have, it went from one extreme to the other. This lifestyle, however, brings excitement, team spirit and the overwhelming sensation of, “what the hell have I just signed up to now?”. Oh, and you can eat what the hell you like as your sure a hell burn it off 🙂

I thought I would never get into anything that involved more than walking. Even then, using the term walking loosely as a taxi or bus would be far easier. Once you have a single glimpse of what is install with ATC you’ll never look back and never forget the experience. The nervousness of the start of the swim, then the transition onto the bike with the wind as your enemy. Once you’re running, you only have the finish to run to and the sense of achievement nearing the end is so immense. ATC has meant so much more to me, from learning to swim for the first time, walking up Snowdon, running a marathon up Pen-y-fan and the Sunday bike ride, meeting and riding with other members (friends) before tucking into a lovely breakfast on the “Brunch ride”.

I wanted to be a member of the committee just to give back something to a group of people that have given me so much that I will always feel indebted. Oh, and I still enjoy the “occasional” pint of ale or glass of wine 😉

Claire Brooker

Social Secretary

My journey to Triathlon started with a bet … well actually the group of guys that I ran with regularly saying I was too chicken to enter one. So I entered the London Olympic Distance triathlon in 2012 having not ridden a bike since I was 8 when I fell off racing my brother down a hill, and not swam properly since my Coca Cola badge at school. It was the most horrendous day possible with torrential rain and the wind making the Thames even more delightful, but with some help from ATC I finished but vowed never again, sold my bike and went back to running.

year later I found running never gave the same challenge and now seemed dull. So I rejoined the club in 2014, next thing I know I have a shiny new bike and a wetsuit and am training for my second Half Iron Man Distance triathlon and haven’t looked back since. Until I joined this club I always thought I was the only adult that couldn’t ride a bike or swim but actually I was not alone, the coached sessions are excellent and I am now a competent swimmer and can keep up with the Intermediate rides. It’s never too late to start!

Amanda Cooper

Co-opted member

Until May 2014 I couldn’t run for a bus, let alone a 5K. Having seen a marathon in France in which you drink wine, I decided that would be fun so started running. I ran my first parkrun that July and met some fantastic people, some of whom were members of Ashford Tri Club. Everyone said what a friendly club it was and what brilliant training opportunities there were. So, I joined, expecting to do nothing more than run a few races. By May 2015, thanks to Ruth, I had learnt to swim (albeit slowly!), completed my first marathon in under 5 hours and had bought a bike, to start training for my first triathlon. However, due to my own clumsiness, I had an accident and fractured my hip. The support from ATC was amazing, even though I was unable to train properly until the autumn.

But when I did get back to training, the coaches and the rest of the club were incredibly supportive and helped me to get my strength, confidence and fitness back. My confidence and fitness are still a bit lacking, but being part of such a friendly club, there is always someone to train with, whether it’s a long run or a short bike ride.
Since then, I’ve completed 3 sprint tri’s (awesome fun!) and am training for the marathon du Medoc in September 2016. My goals for next year are just to get a bit quicker, more confident and maybe a longer distance tri.

Who knows! All I know is that I’m fitter than I have ever been, I’ve made some really lovely friends and have had lots of fun along the way. Oh & I still can’t run for a bus

Cullum Parker

Co-opted member

I joined ATC in February 2017 having decided to sign up for my first Triathlon event at the Hythe Bay Triathlon 2017. Since then, I have completed a few more Super Sprints, my first Sprint distance and a Duathlon. In 2018 I am aiming to complete my first Standard distance and a few more events too. I’ll be honest: no-one aiming for the podium has anything to fear from my triathlete abilities! But that is what I love about ATC; no matter how good (or bad) you think you are there is always someone encouraging you to do better.

Having benefited from both the excellent coaching of our various Coaches and the organisational skills of the Committee, I thought it was time to help out a bit more at ATC and get involved in the hard work of administration that underpins our success at events. We truly are an inclusive and welcoming club, and I would urge anyone tempted to get involved to contact us, sign up to the Hythe Bay Tri or 666 Run, or come along to one of the training sessions to find out how quickly you can get hooked onto the Triathlon bug!